Identity Sought Of Man Killed By A Metra Train

Joliet Township — Authorities on Thursday were trying to learn the identity of a man killed late Wednesday by an eastbound Metra train, shortly after the train left Joliet's Union Station.

The man, identified as a Hispanic about 35 years old, was struck by a commuter train heading for Chicago. The engineer saw the man, blew the whistle and applied the brakes before the accident, said a Metra spokesman.

"The train had just left the station and was accelerating, so there's no way for it to stop that fast," the spokesman said.

Lt. Jeff Pickett of the East Joliet Fire Department said the man was lying on the tracks about 1/4 mile west of Briggs Street in unincorporated Joliet Township. Two bottles of hard liquor were found near where the man was hit.